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Data Overwriting Process For Returned Products

This statement provides Seagate customers with an overview of what happens to data on products when returned to Seagate. In order to protect your privacy and other interests in data, you should delete all data, or as much as possible, prior to returning any product to Seagate. Seagate realizes, however, that you may not be able to erase certain data on returned products. In any event, Seagate will take the steps described in this statement to protect the physical security of such products and, if applicable, overwrite data as early as possible on products recertified by Seagate.

Seagate has coordinated with the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Center for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR) to ensure that any products repaired by Seagate are in compliance with or exceed the appropriate U.S. Government specifications. Seagate repair processes follow Best Industry Practices which call for a Purging of data from the media. Seagate has verified that not only does its repair process overwrite user addressable locations, but the process also overwrites the non-user accessible locations. Seagate uses random characters, high-frequency patterns and digital zeros patterns to match the drive design technologies.

The Seagate repair process ensures that all data is overwritten in a way that exceeds the appropriate U.S. Government specifications. Seagate's process of media sanitization may be considered an advantage among those in the health industry user community (e.g., HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, April 2003, which enforces patient data privacy and confidentiality), the financial community, the government user community, and other users that deal with sensitive data.